Do you think Homeschooling is good or bad for children?

Question

I have 3 children one thats getting close to school age, and I'm concidering homeschooling them, but I worry about weither its the right decision or not. Please share your opinions.

Answer 1

Don't do it. I'm homeschooled and I hate it. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think so. It sucks not being able to go hang out with friends. Don't homeschool them, especially when they're young. I wish I could have stayed in a regular school. Wait until they're older, and ask them what they would like.

Answer 2

My child was home-schooled in a group with 5 other children.

We did not personally do the schooling.

We made sure she was involved in activities with other children....and involved in team sports.

She's now almost 23...graduated from a good college....is well on her way career-wise.

But more importantly....she's a happy, well-rounded, giving, young woman....so for her home-schooling turned out fine.

Answer 3

If you ask me, public school shouldn't even be considered "school".

Kids in public school get lost in the shuffle. They will be lucky if they learn the basics by 4th grade. I know kids who go to public school. I know 3rd graders who can't read. I know 6th graders who couldn't tell you what country they live in.

The main reason many people are against homeschooling is because they think homeschoolers are not socialized.

Just because your child is put in a room with 20 or 30 other kids everyday doesn't mean that is socialization. The "socialization" (if you want to call it that) that goes on in public school is scary. Kids get made fun of if they don't have the best clothes or the latest shoes. Kids who pick on other kids for no reason whatsoever.

I toured a public school once. The kindergartners were walking down the hall chanting "No guns at school! No knives at school!"

I'm not really sure how this would be acceptable to any parent.

I get sickened when I hear people say that homeschoolers are not social. Believe it or not--school is not the only place to make friends!

There are plenty of homeschooling groups, play groups, youth groups, extracurricular activities, sports, classes, etc. out there where kids can interact.

Let's put it this way: Most homeschoolers I've seen are more social than the kids I've seen who go to public school. They not only know how to interact with kids their own age, but with adults as well.

Homeschoolers have the advantage of learning at their own pace. They also have the advantage of not only learning things like math, science, spelling, etc. but also things that will help them with everyday life.

Homeschoolers have the advantage of doing more hands-on things.  Whereas at public school hands-on things are often limited because of what it costs to provide the experience for 20 or 30 students.

Homeschoolers also tend to be smarter. They get accepted to colleges more easily because they tend to be harder workers and better acheivers.

Answer 4

Seriously, you should do what you feel is right for you and your children.  That may very well be home schooling.  Don't listen to all of the negative comments about socialization because there are so many opportunities for gaining positive social skills outside of school.  Can your child go to public school and be intelligent, sensible and well-socialized?  Certainly.  Can a child be homeschooled and be intelligent, sensible, and well-socialized?  Again, certainly.  It is not simply an issue of black or white and there are so many other contributing factors no matter what you choose.  I would suggest putting a good deal of research into methods, curriculum and all of the options out there now, before you have to decide.  Good luck.

Answer 5

I have 3 kids 2 of which are home schooled! You hear so much about how bad it is how they won't be socalized or they will be behind or they are shelterd blah blah blah! For those against it there are 100 reasons (all of which have been proven to be oppisite of what they are saying) not too do it. There are so many options for homeschoolers now that its overwhelming unless you have help (the reason were here). Only you can make the decision that you believe is right for your family and that fits in with your belief system. We can just point you in a direction to hopefully help you. I always tell people to ask themselves these questions. What kind of learner is your child? Is s/he a visiual, or hands on type? Does s/he learn better by reading or by writing? Christian or Secular or maybe even another religion? What are your beliefs? Do ou believe in Creation or Evoulition? All these questions will point you to the type of ciricculium you choose to use. As the main starting point you need to visit www.hslda.org and get to know the laws in your state. You can't home school successsfully if you don't know the laws. AS for us we love it! The kids are more involved than they were with the public school. My daughter (when I pulled her out) could barely read or add let alone subtract this was her second year of second grade. She is now in third and all the concepts she missed in public school she has a fairly firm grasp on. She's a bit slower in math than I like but she's improving daily! I think you have to have a firm grasop of the basic concepts before you move to a more complicated one so we are going a little slower in math right now. Another plus you work at the childs pace not the schools! If she doesn't understand that's ok you stay there or go back a step and reteach it until they do! Good Luck!

Answer 6

well it depends. i think you should make them all go for at least a year to primery (elementry) and high school because the school expiriance is different for everyone and they may really love it! i personally hate skool and want to be home schooled but i must admit i made sum exellent friends there! if u decide 2 home skool make sure u take them to lots of clubs and youth groups so they can socialise and mix with all different types of people like they would in school.

Answer 7

I think it is a bad idea because they will miss out on socialization opportunities and social skills with their peers that they will have in a school.

Answer 8

i am in  homeschooling because of my job and yes i know i am 11 but i do have a job that i love so thats why homeschooling is cool and yes it is good for kids

Answer 9

i was homeschooled for four years before this year wich im now in 9th grade in a public school....u should have ur children try public school out and see how they like it

Answer 10

Home schooling may be good or can be bad. It depends on how is curriculum run and a system around that. Culture is also influence this activity. You can consider if homeschooling is done in developing country, it will be so difficult, cause many children have not yet adapt this situation. Financial problem and  cultural factor fully qualified can disturb that program. It will be better if the goverment apply new innovation to run that.

Different way as developed country. the system was be complex and very structured educational system. Good and as example for the other developing country. Education consideration has a quite important factor of success, cause with that, we can learn anything well.

Answer 11

In my experience with children over the last 20 years and a good bit of research into a variety of educational options if you can handle a few basic things then you are perfectly capable of homeschooling your children.

First, if you love and care for them enough to help them develop their own abilities and strategies for handling the world and people then you have the essential aspect of good  parenting. If you are not a good parent, then you need help and home schooling is probably not appropriate.

The one thing that, I believe, correlates to a lack of success in education is isolation. Home schooling is available as an opportunity to be more fully engaged with your children as they grow and engage with the world and the community. It does not matter how you school your children, if you prevent them from engaging with the world and the communities of life around them, then they will not develop skillful ways of dealing with that reality. The inability to deal with reality is the essence of failure.

Finally, In most of the developed world if you can read, write, and do enough basic math to get by then you have enough basic skills to pass on to your children, who will likely need to seek further opportunities to learn even more. Once again, if you expect to be able to do everything yourself, in isolation, then you are setting yourself up for failure. The key to successful home schooling is getting a community of support for both your children and yourself. You don't need to be especially smart, just smart enough to find smart people who can help you and your children figure out how to get your various needs met.

Is home schooling good or bad for children? As with anything, it depends on who's doing it, why they are doing it, and how they do it. Any and all forms of schooling can be bad for children when the wrong people are doing it for the wrong reasons in the wrong ways. On the other hand all forms of schooling can be good for children when it is done by the right people for the right reasons in the right ways.

Discerning right and wrong is, in this way of looking at it, the real question. Once you decide which schooling option to try, then the real test is whether you stay tuned to how well it is working out for your children and you. Once you have gotten into the swing of the routines of either forms of schooling then you have to keep asking yourself whether it is working or not. If so, how can it be better? If not, how can it be improved? If you try to improve a situation that is not really working, when do you scrap that option and try a different one?

The real sign to me that you are well-suited to home schooling is the fact that you are so concerned about making the decision. If you can in the habit of doing the deep soul searching that parenting (and life generally) requires at this early stage in the schooling game, then you will make better decisions than anyone who has simply adopted the dogmatic position that either school or home school are the only valid way to go. Dogmatic assumptions are blind to the nuances of children's needs, the complexity of reality and the variety of good options that are usually available.

If you really feel that you are in a good position to be supportive of your children as they learn to make their way in the world then I encourage you to go for it. If you discover along the way that it's not working out, change what you are doing. Don't do anything that compromises your love for your children and might prevent you from giving them respect and responsibility for their unique learning needs. If you can nurture them at home through flexible access to your local community (a.k.a. home schooling) then great. If you can nurture them better with the help of school institutions, that's great too. The all-important  central key is that you nurture your children so they grow into strong and successful people.

Answer 12

Bad.  Give your child a chance to make their own friends rather than you choosing for them.  Schools are not only meant for studying (that is the primary purpose) but also for learning a lot of other life and social skills.  I am not saying that home schooled children have no social skills but they are controlled social skills.  Schools are about making your own circle of friends without someone else pushing them on you.  Extra-curricular activities also play a big part.  There is just more to choose from and there is nothing like representing a school in competitions.  In the long run even job opportunities may depend on friends you made in school.

Answer 13

Each has it's own pros and cons depending on what you expectations, and views of each are.

Personally I would say, home schooling is better, because that is what we feel is the best choice for our family; only you and your husband can make that choice for yours.

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

Home schooling is much more than academics, its about family and a way of life.

It is about allowing children to grow, learn and develop at their own pace without having to live up to generic standards set by people who do decided that everyone should learn the same thing at the same time if it's applicable to them or not.

Quote:

"An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life".  ~Author Unknown

Answer 14

If you are a decent parent, homeschooling can be a great thing for your kids.

Keep in mind that before the late 1850s, most people who were educated had been educated at home. Abraham Lincoln didn't learn to read until he was 14. Thomas Edison spent a few months in school at the age of 7 then was homeschooled after that. Even more recently, the Roosevelts were tutored at home. It certainly did not hamper their ability to be leaders and do great things!

Many people will say that it's bad for their social skills. As a former elementary school teacher, it was the school social skills that first had me thinking about homeschooling. I didn't want my children growing up that way and thinking those types of behaviours and attitudes were normal. My husband is a jr. high teacher and sees what goes on socially at school and doesn't want that for our kids, either. They will grow up much more soundly socially by being around fewer children all the time (social behaviours are largely learned from what we see around us!) and by interacting with a variety of ages and people, which they do regularly what with homeschooling activities, stuff with extended family and friends, swimming and skating lessons, being out in the community and having to pay for things, talk to librarians, tell a man he's dropped something, etc. As you might imagine, how well they develop socially depends a lot on *me*, how I guide them and what settings I make available to them.

Academics is no different--their success depends on what you do. There are soooooo many programs ("curriculum") out there that do a great job; there are a ton of different approaches, including just doing your own thing. The beauty of it is if one child just isn't ready to read at 5/6, it's not going to mess everything else up. You can still do all kinds of things with that child, including moving along in math or anything else, while giving that child time to progress at his/her rate. On the flip side, the advanced child can keep moving along instead of sitting in class filling time with extra worksheets or just reading.

One of the best benefits of homeschooling that I hadn't known about before we decided was how close the family is--between parents and kids and between siblings. I've had my own cousin marvel at how well my two (6yob and 9yog) get along; I've known parents who remarked on how much better their children got along after they started homeschooling. While it had clicked when I was teaching that I was the primary caregiver for those kids for the year that I had them, that I was their parent substitute, it had never occurred to me how school's age segregation discouraged better relations between siblings.

My advice to you would be to seek out homeschool groups in your area. They probably hold park days or other things where they allow anybody to attend. These are great chances to learn more about homeschooling, ask your questions, figure things out. It's the best way to discern if it is something that would work for you.

Please feel free to send me a message if you'd like to discuss more.

ADDED: Regarding the psychological standpoint, I have to wonder if the person actually studied child psychology. Perhaps part of my 'advantage' is that I also studied sociology. However, I doubt that's it because I'm sure that person has not realized that people in the past were primarily educated at home. Look at Jane Austen novels and the type of education expected of young women during that time--they were not shipped off to school. They learned it all at home, usually from their mothers but sometimes with private tutors.

A psychological standpoint means to look at the effects of the psyche. If you really want to look at it from that angle, then homeschooling will make more sense in many cases. Bullying, name-calling and other things are forms of abuse. An adult who has never been bullied or called names, who is confident and secure, won't think twice about it; a child suffers under this sort of treatment. Then there's the whole effects on the psyche of competition in the classroom, not only academic, but who owns which expensive things, who has which clothes, etc. I could go on, but I won't. There are plenty of psychological reasons that homeschooling can be better for a child than public school.

Answer 15

Young kids are generally easier than older kids.

YOu need to find work books and tools and programs to work with and you'll have to do a lot of work the first 4 years until they are ready to work on their own.

There are books as Sams club, Barnes and Noble, Waldon that can help you.

There are school in a box programs that can help you.

You need to check local laws to see what you have to do to start homeschooling them after age 6, prior to that you can do as you please.

Answer 16

Psyhcologically speaking, it's a bad idea.  Homeschooled children are normally poorly adjusted, socially awkward, naive, closetted....The list is long.

The thing about school is, it's less about what you learn there, and more about the ritual of getting through 4 year burst of being with a certain number of people from Xam to Xpm, having to grow socially to cope with it.  What you gain from school in ability to cope with adult life is so much greater than what is gained in knowledge.

Answer 17

Homeschooling is a terrific option, but it does require dedication and patience - more so with the passage of time, as lessons become more involved and children develop a wider range of interests. Additionally, individual states will have varying degrees of involvement that must be addressed.  

Your decision to homeschool will depend greatly on why you are considering it.  We homeschool to build strong, lasting family bonds.  We do it to cultivate a love of learning in a more natural setting.  We do it because we want our children to realize their importance in the community.  We want them to learn that they are not just one of many kids sitting in a classroom, but individuals whose contributions to the world can make a difference.  We want them to understand that the pursuit of knowledge need not be dry and segregated from daily life.

You're job is to look to your heart and uncover your goals and desires for your children's education.  From there you can delve into how you can arrive at that destination.  Be it homeschooling or any of the other, more conventional methods.  

Many people question the ability of homeschooled children to receive adequate socialization. It is such a common question that it has been dubbed the "s-word" by many homeschooling families. It is important to remember that home educated children are not cloistered away from society. They are also not artificially forced to interact with large groups of children all of the same age and level of maturity.

With a little looking, most communities have homeschooling groups that plan get-togethers in parks, at zoos and museums. These groups may also join into other activities together to receive lower rates. For example language lessons, swimming classes, martial arts, etc... My children (4 & 8) are making great friends with other local homeschoolers and are able to participate in activities they would miss out on, were they in public school all day.

It saddens me to see so many misinformed and assumptive replies trying to perpetuate on the myth of "poor socialization skills" among home educated children.  Especially by those with higher education using unqualified generalizations to try to prove a fallacy.  

The decision to homeschool is not to be taken lightly, it can be hard work.  Teaching your children at home requires commitment, planning & persistence.  But do not let the fictional hoards of "socially inept" home educated children scare you away.  It simply is not true.

Please see links below for informative articles on why so many families choose to educate their children at home & the truth about socialization and homeschoolers.

Best of Luck!

Answer 18

its good for them

Answer 19

"The thing about school is, it's less about what you learn there, and more about the ritual "

LOL  I saw this posted above and had to literally laugh out loud.  You've got to be kidding me - all these years I thought getting an education was actually supposed to be about learning.  Silly me.

My kids were in public school.  My son finished grade 4, my dd grade 1 and my youngest dd hadn't started yet.

We decided to homeschool.  It's been a great 4 years.   My kids have grown up secure in the knowledge of who they are and what they want out of life.    All the socialization myths are just that - a myth.

My kids are not ackward, shy, backwards or anything else.

My 9th grader just spent the summer working at a camp with a bunch of kids from all over. Only one other person there (a now-20 yr old young man) was hs'ed.  He got along with them just fine and in fact now has a ton of new friends to add onto the ones he already has.

We have joined in all sorts of activities - band, golf, fencing, swimming, gym, dance, musicals, film school, just to name a few.

We love the freedom hs'ing offers and my kids have no desire to go back to the system.

Answer 20

Academically, homeschool depends upon the dedication of the parent just as much as a public school kindergarten depends on a dedicated teacher. You need to ask yourself if you enjoy teaching your child at this point and if your child enjoys it when you are together learning. If you are like 'cats and dogs' you will need to work on your teamwork before begining home schooling.

Another aspect to consider is how great a need does your child have for socialization and what opportunities there are to meet those needs while homeschooling. A quiet-natured child with siblings will need perhaps a weekly visit with a good friend and a semi-structured larger group activity every week to a month. Most homeschoolers are church going or are active in a group activity such as a sport, scouts-style group, or a homeschool co-op. This allows the child to get practice at large group interaction. A very kid-hungry, social magnet sort of child will need to have group activities to meet his appetite, so you will need to have more in his schedule. What I have found consistently, is that the children who are the best socially adjusted children are the ones that have had the most adult training for it. The kids with problems, more often public school children than homeschool children, are the ones whose parents didn't teach them and they are thrown into a mix of other kids with the same problem. You make the time to train them and they will do fine. Teach them what being a host/hostess is and make a playdate in which they apply those skills. When with a group and poor behavior errupts, see it for what it is, a chance to train your child and perhaps the other children as well, how to think through a good resolution.

If even the logic of my words don't bring conviction and comfort about homeschooling, I can give you my observations. In our church we have an unusualy high percentage of homeschoolers in attendance. I guess it is because our church at one time had a pastor's family that homeschooled and the church was the meetingplace of the local homeschool group. The high percentage though means that it has been possible to see quite a number of homeschoolers growing up side by side with children who are from public schools. The homeschool kids seem easily 2 to 4 years more mature in behavior than their counterparts. All of them have become active in serving in the teen years while their public school counterparts complain that the last camp wasn't fun enough. The last fund-raiser for the camp funds was very telling. The kids in the youth group were auctioned off. Well not really auctioned. LOL. Actually, the church members bid on buying an hour to four hour block of labor in excahnge for extremely generous donations to the group fund to pay their way. I became aware of the chatter among the church members while waiting for the auction to begin. They were talking about the kids' characters and work ethic. I noticed that there were consistent comments about the homeschool kids being more reliable. The auction was a l lot of fun for all of us and there were several bidding wars which had us all laughing and cheering. Totals were listed in order of amount of bid. All the homeschool kids were at the top of the list. How about peers? My son, homeschooled since he was mid way through kindergarten was voted youth group president by his peers. The youth said they voted for him because he was smart, nice, and he could be trusted. Now that same son is in college; I see more evidence. Of the 34 scholarships that were given by the college, 25% of them were homeschoolers, my son included, while the student population was ony 2% homeschoolers. Most of these scholarships were based on SAT scores, competitive essay, and evidence of community service. I noticed all the homeschoolers have been on the Chancellor's Honor Roll. My son was hired by the college in their comtech department, and is starting a Tech Club whose purpose will be community service by supplying free labor to non-profits, schools, and government agencies.

My daughter wanted to go to public school for her senior high school year. She was curious and though it would be a good opportunity to test her wings before college next year. She has been appalled at the behavior of the students and even a few of the teachers. Yet she knows how to handle herself because she has been trained through the years how to deal with issues that can pop up. She is getting particular attention because not only is she new in a very tiny rural school, but she is incredibly pretty. All the boys have been like little bees around her. One boy has been following her around talking about how many girlfriends he has had - to impress her. She just shook her head as she related it to me and said how ridicuous it was that he couldn't see that what might impress guys is the total opposite thing to say to the girl. sheesh!. Last week, he came up to her while she was at her locker and whispered into her ear, "I can have you if I want to." She gave him a sharp elbow to the chest to move him back and the look that could kill. He has backed off since. The girls saw what she did and asked what he said. She told them he said something rude. They said in approval, "You go girl! Give him what for."  I don't think she would be counted as a social misfit. She has tons of friends. She  is polite, self-controlled, and respectful, yet she knows how to stand up for herself. Academically, don't get me started. How about a Spanish II class where the teacher doesn't know Spanish, so the kids are doing an online course. There are kids in there that have never had any Spanish at all mixed with the year II students. There isn't a textbook, but they get one handout to use for the test with the answers on it. The kids never hear Spanish spoken because the teacher in the class cannot speak it and the online course doesn't have an auditory component, just text. OK, I better stop there. You get the idea? Her testing her wings this year has shown her that she will do just fine and the years of homeschooling has given her plenty of plusses and she wasn't missing out on anything all those years.

I have to say, I really chuckle when I see the poor homeschool socialization myth being brought up again and again. For me, the proof is in the pudding!

Answer 21

Homeschooling is wonderful for children.  If you put forth a reasonable effort, you can provide you children with many opportunities to socialize.  Academically, homeschooling is statistically better than Public or Private school.  

Go to http://www.hslda.org  and click on "Research", then look at the articles under "hslda research".

Then return the home page and click on "Getting Started",  you will find lots of statistics and encouragement there.

Answer 22

Home schooling is not as bad for your kids as public schooling.They will not be taunted of teased if their shoes or clothes don't conform with the norm.

Even if you believe the stuff about homschoolers not getting proper socialization skills,a kid just entering school age will probably not even remember this year.So try it out and see if it's right for you!best of luck!